Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-03-11
Housekeeping PssIs,

Complaints are made from various sec
tions Of g band OF baking powder trGmps
whose tricks UPON unsuspectiug house
keeperS seem to partake very much of tie
nature of confidence operations The
band is composed Of women, although
employed and directed by an agent OF the
other sex, and their methods OF proceed
IRE, IS explained by several Indies who
have been victimized, is IS t2.iJvsg Oh
tanning access to the kitchen, theyi1tro-
once the su' iect Of baking powders,
inquire the kind u=ed IL the family
Being shown the car. perhapsR fresh.
trI one, they yOiUatre. 10 "tcst'
10 % ASCERTAIN its qualities. 4aeir "test"
consists ia placing the cen On shot stove
or ever IsEGp Or gas i1r, Of in mixing
the baking powder with wafer botn not
&ad cold. Ii the baking powder Is good
II anything the heat VIII, 4 course, eX-
carbOnic, IS apparent 70 the sense of
smell. The claim is then MADE tEat this
CCor indicates something detrimental,
aithoUgh. as q matter II TACT, baking
powder inst would give Of no zas when
subjected 10 heat would ~ without
leavsniOg power and yaIueleS5. They
-
them with water. IF pure, Il
effervesces quickly. The baking powder
they peddle being similarly mixed IJams
up slowly like yeast, Standing, perhaps,
over the top u the glass. This they
claim as evidence of superiority, whereas
/ it is IN. exhibition If q trick only, their
baking powder having been specially pre-
pared to make this test by the addition of
I HDtr or nj hr1,- = l.
dence of adulteratioa. OF course the OBJ
ject OF these fraudulent tricks is to de-
Stroy confidence IN all other kinds OF
baking powder, and to sell the particular
br nd for which the women are travelling.
Were this the whole of the operation,
hOusekeeperS won!d not often be de-
ceived. Every intelligent person knows
that baking powder is not made to be
used in this way, but IN cooking where
its action is entirely different from that
produced by dry heat or by mixture with
water clone. The chief object Of this
juggleIY is to destroy the baking powder
gwen for testing; or by heating it
to drive of it's leavening gases, and so
weaken it that when used It Will iail to
work. At the next baking there IS heavy
food, OF course, and the tramp" proba-
Uly StJS ire CItG4L OF D2ND9 lVlI tNt
hOusekeeper q valuable TACT, Instead Of
/ having spoilJ her baking powder, - was
actually the case. The average tramp"
vii, in this way, DESTROY from fifty to
soveuty-fye pounds Of baking powder i
day.
A second method CT sponingfor use the
baking powder in kitchen where they
ere not permitted to experiment with il,
is by deXterOusiy throwing in the can 3
sm2li quantity Of salt, soda or powdered
lime. Again, should there clauca to be no
baking powder il TIE house, the opera
tors will rIOuuce, OF the kind used by the
| family, sample that has been pIrpose!y
sdaiteraied or "d0cto:ed" to make such
IN exhibit as tley desire under the So
called test.
The only way TO protect our food from
beiig contaminated by trsmps of this
kind is 10 turn oil persons who wish or
attempt to :amper with tuncercmonious-
! ~ from the door, and to use those arti-
cies only which experience has proved
satisfactory, or the official tests have es-
tablished as pure and wholesome.